The present invention relates to magnetic conveyor chain of the type used to convey articles in a path that may include inclines and more particularly to nonmetallic magnetized chain or roller chain having nonmetallic magnetized snap-on top plates used for these purposes.
In many industrial applications it is often desirable to convey articles from one location to another by means of a travelling article carrying conveyor chain which supports the articles being conveyed. In situations requiring the transport of relatively tall articles it is often necessary to stabilize the products on the conveyor chain by using attachments to the chain which support the conveyed products and minimize the possibility of product tippage. Similarly, in situations requiring the transport of articles up or down an incline it is typically necessary to provide conveyor chain attachments of one type or another to prevent the conveyed products from slipping on the inclined portion of the conveyor.
Products being conveyed may be of several different types and made of various materials. In those circumstances where products are made from ferro magnetic materials attempts have been made to provide some type of magnetic attraction between the products and the conveyor. Generally, prior attempts to provide this magnetic attraction have included mounting magnets beneath the conveyor chain to establish a magnetic field in the area above the conveyor chain where the transported products are located. While being relatively successful as far as improving the stability of the products of the conveyors in both horizontal and inclined situations, these previous attempts have several serious drawbacks. Provision of magnets beneath the conveyor chain results in the chain being pulled toward its wear strips by attraction of the product through the chain. This increases the frictional drag of the chain on the wear strips resulting in increased wear of the chain links and other conveyor members and increased power requirements to drive the chain. Also, pulsation of the conveyor has resulted in these systems. These prior attempts have also proved to be very expensive.
Additionally, other attempts such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,510 have included attachment of magnets to the article carrying portion of the conveyor links to impart magnetic properties to the links. These attemps suffer from the drawbacks of being time consuming and difficult to assemble and also require storage of many additional component parts.